


some brighter sphere

by numinousnumbat



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Background Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter - Freeform, Background Fred Weasley/Angelina Johnson, Background George Weasley/Katie Bell, Fred Weasley Lives, Gen, Soulbonds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-18
Updated: 2017-10-18
Packaged: 2019-01-17 00:57:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12354093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/numinousnumbat/pseuds/numinousnumbat
Summary: Draco is curious how the Weasley twins both survived the War.





	some brighter sphere

**Author's Note:**

> They say you can tell a lot about a person by which death in the Harry Potter series was the worst for them. For me, that death was Fred, and in the stages of grief, I’m still stuck firmly in denial. 
> 
> The title is from “Fragment: Questions” by Percy Bysshe Shelley.

It was a week before the Weasley twin double wedding; Fred was marrying Angelina Johnson and George was marrying Katie Bell. Their wedding gifts from Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy were a bespoke suit each from Draco’s very expensive, very exclusive tailor shop. He only sold to the most discerning of the rich pureblood families, and, unfortunately, any of Harry's friends that were in need of a suit or robe. Draco didn't keep hours; fittings were by owl appointment only. The twins entered the shop, double-checking the address as there wasn't any signage.

The interior of Draco’s shop looked more like an exclusive members-only club than a place one buys clothes, by design, of course. It was styled with beautiful leather furniture and antique lamps that looked like they belonged in the pages of an interior design magazine.

“Fred, George, welcome,” Draco said, walking to them from behind a tall counter. 

“Hi, guys,” Harry said, waving from a settee. He had volunteered to be there as an intermediary because the twins didn't like Draco and Draco didn't trust them not to set off a stink bomb in his shop.

“Hiya, Draco,” Fred said.

“Thanks, again,” George said. “Katie is excited to see how well we clean up.”

“My last chance to convince Angelina to carry on with the marriage,” Fred said.

“My pleasure,” Draco said. “Shall we get started? Shirts off and put on these,” he said, handing over crisp white undershirts.

“We haven't even gone on a first date,” Fred said.

“No can do,” George said.

“Ah,” Draco said. “So that’s where your soulbond mark is.”

George and Fred shared a glance.

Draco looked smug. “I thought so,” he said, smiling. “Over your hearts?”

“Yeah,” Fred said.

“How did you know?” George said.

“Well Fred should be dead and he isn’t, and there are only a few types of magic that would do that. You two seem like the soulbond types. How long ago did you do it?”

“Well before the War started,” Fred said.

“We started planning after Ginny told us about the diary,” George said.

Harry sat up. “What?” he said. “What’s a soulbond?”

“Old magic,” Draco said. “Not dark magic, per se, but strong magic with consequences. A soulbond is a way to connect two people’s souls, their magical cores, to avoid death for a period of time.”

Harry squirmed. “Is it connected to the Deathly Hallows?”

“No, it’s heaps older than that. Ancient magic,” Draco explained. “It also became a thing the rich pureblood families - families like yours truly - were interested in between the Dark Lord’s appearances. You know, ‘Oh, we’re replacing the drapes and thinking about a soulbond,’ sort of thing. To my knowledge, none of his followers went through with it. And what sort of bond did you two acquire?”

“Your basic soulbond,” Fred said.

“Yep, a little magic and a handshake to seal the deal,” George said.

“Can I see?” Draco said. “I’ve always wanted to see one.”

“I guess since the dragon git knows,” Fred said.

“Won’t do any harm,” George finished.

They both pulled off their Weasley Wheeze’s jumpers and the t-shirts underneath. There, over their hearts was their soulbond mark, an intricate vine design, shaped roughly into a flower. As the light hit it, it shimmered dark green and blue and an F twisted into a G and then back into an F and so on. The F surfaced on one twin as the G surfaced on the other.

“Beautiful,” Draco said. “Well, let’s get you fitted.” He pulled out a tape measure and started with Fred: neck, chest, waist, shoulders, arm, wrist. As he measured, he said, “Father met with a soulbond wizard; he wanted to save Mother, and himself, I’m sure.” He knelt on the ground for the rest of the measurements, hip and inseam. As he worked, spells in the back of the shop were cutting and stitching together the suit to the specified lengths.

“Ah,” George said.

“That’s why you know about soulbonds,” Fred said.

“Yes,” Draco replied. “And a healthy interest in all things powerful and dark.”

“Like your Harry here,” George said.

“Touché,” Draco said.

“Next,” he called to George as he stood. George took Fred’s spot and Draco took the same measurements. “Father told me when I was very young that soulbonds were not worth the price, and as a child I thought that meant money. And that didn’t make any sense because Father always told me that there was nothing money couldn’t solve.”

“You were a real arsehole from the start,” Fred said.

“Indeed,” Draco said and knelt for George’s leg measurements. “He told me towards the end of the War what the price would have been for his soulbond.”

“Yeah?” George said curiously.

“Yes, it was me, actually. If Mother or Father were to die, they could remain living at the price of my life. Father told me this story, I believe, as a way to show me that he loved me, although I think not sacrificing your child’s life for your own should be a bare minimum for parental duty and love.”

“Merlin,” Harry swore softly.

Draco summoned the newly-made suits from the back, slate grey selected by the twins' future wives and in a single-breasted, classic look selected by Draco to be worn first at their weddings, and later at important meetings and the occasional Ministry gala. His suits were made for a lifetime, not to be discarded after one event, and yearly adjustments were at no cost to keep up with the trends. He handed each twin their suit. “Try these on, and I’ll make the final adjustments.”

The twins carefully slid on trousers and buttoned shirts and then jackets. Draco pointed his wand to make tiny adjustments, so the suit laid just _so_ over shoulders and fell exactly _there_ on wrists. Instead of looking at one of the large, ornate mirrors that had been artfully placed around the shop, the twins looked at each other. Whether they cared more what the other looked like or they knew looking at their twin was as good as a mirror, Draco couldn't say, and didn't ask.

"I am curious,” Draco said. “What was your deal? I know you wouldn’t have traded anyone in your family for your own life.”

Neither answered and then George nodded at Fred. “We split our years,” Fred said. “I died and now George and I each have half of George’s remaining years.”

“That is a hell of a deal,” Draco said. He summoned dragonhide loafers for them to put on so he could adjust the length of the trousers to precisely half-break. “And what was the price? You might be able to give up half of your years to your soulbond to have a few extra days or weeks - enough time to get your affairs in order and say your last goodbyes - but what in the world do you pay to split all the remaining years?”

“Maybe the soulbond witch liked us,” Fred said.

“Maybe she makes better deals with people that aren’t arseholes like your father,” George said.

Draco cocked his head appraisingly at the two and stepped back to look at his work. “Ok, I promised your fiancées that I’d make sure people could tell you apart,” he said. He summoned a cheery yellow pocket square to match Angelina's daffodil bouquet and placed it in Fred's jacket pocket. He summoned a light purple pocket square to match Katie’s lilac bouquet and put it in George's pocket.

"Almost there, I think," Draco said. He pulled the square from Fred's pocket, summoned a shimmery blue-green thread and used his wand to cast a series of spells that stitched the G from the soulbond mark into a corner of the square. He refolded it and put it back into Fred's pocket, so the G was hidden. He took George's square and repeated the actions, stitching the F from the soulbond mark into a corner of the square and tucking it back in, so the F was hidden. He nodded at the twins.

“Thank you,” George said, touching his pocket.

“So what was the price?” Draco asked again.

Fred and George looked at each other. “When we die, we won’t go to the afterlife,” Fred said.

Harry's mug slipped from his hand, and tea spilled across Draco's rug.

“Yep, at some point our hearts will stop in the same instant,” George said.

“And Fred and George will cease to exist, on all planes, forever,” Fred said.

Draco was momentarily speechless, hand covering his mouth. “I suppose,” he said rocking back on his heels, “the only question is, was it worth it?”

George buried his head in Fred’s shoulder. “Yes,” they said in unison.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed! Suits instead of robes as a representation of a new and modernized post-Voldemort Wizarding World … or only for me to include pocket squares? I’ll let the reader decide.
> 
> It was a strange point-of-view and point-in-time to take, perhaps, and I hope it worked for you. I have a few more Harry/Draco stories planned, including a nanowrimo, so feel free to subscribe if that's your jam. I am on [tumblr](https://numinousnumbat.tumblr.com/).


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